Travis Kelce said he and the Chiefs are on the same page about his future “at least right now.”
During the latest installment of the “New Heights” podcast Wednesday, the three-time Super Bowl champion tight end explained that he spoke with the team about his playing future — and revealed his offseason plans as he contemplates retirement after Kansas City was eliminated from the playoff race.
“I’ve talked to a few people in the facility already, you know, having the exit meetings and they know where I stand at least right now,” Kelce, 36, said.
“There’s a lot of love for the game that’s still there and I don’t think I’ll ever lose that. I don’t know. It’s a tough thing to navigate, but at the same time I think if my body can heal up and rest up and I can feel content that I can go out there and give it another run I think I would do it in a heart beat. So I think right now it’s just finding that answer … when it all settles down.”
Although he feels embarrassed to be out of the playoff race after Kansas City finished 6-11, Kelce explained that he’ll spend some time being “human” with his friends and family.
“I put my feet up and I just be a human because I’ve been putting my body through the ringer for the love of it. I do enjoy playing football and the physical aspect of it. There is something about feeling the wear and tear of the football season … Just being a regular human for a couple weeks maybe a month or so and try and figure out what I’m going to do next in terms of my future in football.
Kelce and his fiancée Taylor Swift — who announced their engagement in August after two years together — reportedly are set to tie the knot sometime this summer.
His older brother Jason Kelce — who retired in March 2024 after 13 seasons and a Super Bowl title with the Eagles — asked him to share a closing statement.
“It was a tough season,” Travis said. “Obviously it ended even worse because my guy 1-5 [Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes] went down [with a season-ending torn ACL in a loss to the Chargers in Week 15].
“We finished the season with a lot of our guys banged up … It’s a tough way to go out, especially with the amount of success and the standard you hold yourself and your team to. You try to look back and learn from it and try to figure out where it went wrong or how you could’ve been better.
“It’s just a s—-y feeling and a s—-y way to try and navigate one of the things you love the most to do, playing football. I appreciate everyone that was out there giving it all … made it as good as we could’ve going into the last week and the end of the season.”
Kelce added that he feels embarrassed about not making the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
“It’s kind of an embarrassing feeling but you kind of keep it moving. But I’m still a fan of the game and love the game, so I’ll be tuned into the playoffs,” he said.
“Get to be around friends and family in January instead of figuring out how to win in the playoffs.”
Kelce potentially played his final game in a road loss to the Raiders on Jan. 4.
